IN GREAT FETTLE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 562, 15 January 1929, Page 10

IN GREAT FETTLE

TOURIST’S IMPRESSIONS OF NORTH ISLAND OPTIMISTIC Vim “TH« people are happier, every province shows a flow of m j|J and honey consequent on rich pastures, land sales have taken a fresh lease of life, and generally in some 50 to 60 trips round the North Island I do not think I have seen things more promising.” These entirely optimistic comments were made this morning by Mr. j Braid, well-known in Auckland commercial circles, who has just returned to Auckland. Mr. Braid said his remarks applied to all the island, but he had been particularly interested in Hawke’s Bay, as a typical mixture of cattle and sheen farming country. Everywhere the grass was knee to waist-higli, and the stock were in excellent condition, i n «*pite of the fact that the grass was somewhat too rich, and was inclined to cause scouring instead of fatteninr He was particularly impressed with, the number of stock lorries on the roads, and had passed six of them on one stretch. From inquiries he learnt that if lambs had to be driven over u or 20 miles, it was usual to use motorlorries carrying anything from 100 t 0 120 animals. Lambs could be sent 43 miles and killed and hung the same day, the result being that they lost no weight, and the farmer gets everything he could from them. As a result of the heavy growth stock was everywhere very dear, and farmers could not get sufficient to Cully stock their farms. RAVAGED ORCHARDS In the Hastings-Napier area MrBraid was a witness of the ravages of the two hail storms that swept the. orchard districts, and again ruined the products in certain areas, leaving others immune as they have done in the past. All the area north of the main street in Hastings suffered, and some 100,000 cases, or a quarter of the total output, was badly damaged, as a result of which only a portion will be capable of sale, and only as hail damaged. None of it will be suitable for export or storage, which was particularly unfortunate in view of the good prices expecetd following on the Australian shortage this year of some Z\ million cases. Many of the hailstones were over an inch and a-half in diameter, amt they even crashed through iron roofs. Orchard properties are freely changing hands at the rate of some £3OO u> £4OO an acre, buildings being worth about £IOO of this. ROAD IMPRESSIONS Along with other motorists, Mr. Braid was duly impressed with the roads in the South compared with those near Auckland. He noted that where bitumen is being used in several places it is being laid between shoulders of ' concrete, so that the edges cannot break away. The concrete has the additional advantage of showing up the side of the road, a great necessity on bitumen roads.